Clutching my tear-soaked pillow to my chest, I cried. I
cried from pain, as I realized that the characters I had grown so close to
would never journey deeper than the final page, ‘The End’. Yet I also cried
from joy, as I dwelt on the impact the characters and themes had made on me.
I’ve heard it said that The
Harry Potter series is a book series of sorcery and witchcraft and should
not be handled by “children of the Light”. Out of curiosity, I read Harry Potter and I’ve discovered that
there is no other series that could possibly better detail and emphasize the
necessity of light and goodness in a dark and evil world.
These books tell the stories of adventurers: the boy who
lived, the time-turner, and the king. Their lives begin in different places,
yet with the help of a new school, a shared house, and a daring game keeper,
these three children form an unbreakable bond. And as their story is told,
these comrades grow closer together, often through wars with others and with
themselves. Though aging and difficulties are not simultaneous in the case of the
three friends, as the group ages, their trials increase. Loved ones die and the
threesome cling to each other for comfort.
Love is an important theme in the series. It is so
important, in fact, that love is the key difference between the Dark Side and
the Light Side. Harry Potter, born from true love and saved by true love, loved
deeply those around him. Tom Riddle, completely incapable of love, created a
kingdom of selfishness. Albus Dumbledore, motivated by a broken heart, loved
for the greater good. Severus Snape watched his love leave, watched his love
die, and then I watched him leave and die for his love’s son. Narcissa Malfoy
followed those around her who didn’t love enough, until the day she realized
that love was enough. Sirius Black, who loved in a gruffer manner than most, had
loyal roots of friendship that ran strong. Hagrid, loved by few, loved as many
humans and creatures his large arms could embrace. Through these characters I’ve
learned that love defines me. Where and in whom I place my love shows the world
who I am, and whether I am on the side of the dark or of the Light.
My favorite characters changed as I read the books, my
feelings and thoughts about the specific characters changing with their
actions. I don’t usually have this “method” of switching favorites, but these
books were so extensive that it was highly unlikely that my favorite could be the
same person throughout the whole series. First, my favorite was Lupin. I loved
how he went out of his way to be a friend and a mentor to Harry. However, when he
left Hogwarts and joined the Order of the Phoenix, his character changed, and I
disagreed with his methods of interaction with those he loved. Second, I liked
Mad-Eye Moody….until I realized that he was in fact, not Mad-Eye but rather
Barty Crouch Jr….yes, that put a damper on “our relationship”. The favorite
characters I liked next, I liked at the same time: Snape, Dumbledore, and Harry.
I loved Snape; I could tell that his brokenness was not because of any personal
flaw in character, but rather bitterness at the events and people who had hurt
him. I loved Dumbledore, because…basically…well, he’s Dumbledore. (I’d think “oh,
he’s a serious wizard” and then he’d say something completely random and funny.
Or I’d think “he’s in a silly mood” but then he’d slip a shattering metaphor or
a beautiful truth into the conversation.) I liked Harry, because his
personality and values are, frankly, easily likeable. Though my favorite
characters often changed, by the end of the series, I was confident of my
favorites. My final favorite characters are Snape and Harry. Snape and Harry
both represent a part of me. Snape represents who I am: bitter at times,
misunderstood, and forever holding a tendency to join the dark side. Harry
represents who I strive to be: sacrificial, loving, brave, and forever refusing
to let bitterness worm its way into his heart.
As I read these books, I’d find myself so entranced; I would
often shake, scream, cry, or laugh. I felt that I was in the actual book, that
I experienced their adventures. I remember one time, after a particular
traumatic event at the end of Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, looking up at Karina and saying, “Books
are magic. How is it possible to journey into so many different worlds, to
experience different lives, and to feel such intense emotions over scribbles on
a couple hundred sheets of paper?” No one can answer the question better than
Professor Dumbledore himself when he and Harry have the following conversation,
“’Tell me one last thing,’ said Harry. ‘Is this real? Or has this been
happening in my head?’
[Dumbledore replies,] ‘Of course it is happening inside your head,
Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?’”
(p. 723 of Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows)
